After the 7.1 earthquake that shook Canterbury in the early morning of Saturday 4 September, Christchurch & Canterbury Tourism have now released a positive statement.

Christchurch & Canterbury Tourism are grateful to be receiving help from the Tourism Industry Association, Tourism NZ and the Ministry of Economic Development, and seeing how the community works together makes Christchurch & Canterbury Tourism sure they will emerge from these hard times stronger than ever. Chair Paul Bingham says: “The tourism industry has been through a number of challenges in the last decade. We have always come through these challenges and we will certainly come through this one.”

At the moment Christchurch & Canterbury Tourism is focusing on the here and now, putting their priority on the well-being and safety of everyone’s families, their team and of course customers. Christchurch & Canterbury Tourism is relieved to communicate that most tourism assets are intact, operational and open for business. Paul Bingham also stresses that even though some beautiful old buildings have received red stickers this doesn’t necessarily mean they’re lost forever.

Paul Bingham says: “We will continue to provide outstanding experiences, and our people and the interactions we have with our visitors are central to that, and more important than bricks and mortar. The spirit and passion of Canterbrians will prevail.”

This award recognises excellence in business areas such as marketing, branding, franchisor and customer relations, profitability, training, development and amenities. “Choice Hotels throughout the country are going from strength to strength in delivering a first-class experience to both domestic and international tourists,” says Aileen Cobern, Sales and Marketing GM for Choice Hotels. “The Comfort Inn Fairmont and Clarion Collection - Wai Ora Lakeside Spa Resort are properties that showcase the best Choice has to offer the discerning traveller.”

Furthermore, Darrin Muggeridge of Quality Hotel Plymouth International (New Plymouth), Ann Cowan of Quality Inn Hurley’s (Queenstown), Bryan Hughes of the Clarion Collection - Wai Ora Lakeside Spa Resort and Leanne and Craig Duncan of Comfort Inn Explorer (Te Anau) were awarded Champions of Choice Awards. This prestigious honour recognises individuals for their individual effort and commitment to building the Choice brand and for their exceptional service.

The winning properties were nominated and judged by an executive panel of members of Choice’s senior management and franchise service team.

We launched the 2010/11 edition of our New Zealand Trade Manual - the indispensable tool that helps source, promote and sell export-ready New Zealand tourism products to the overseas travel market - and received great feedback. The new Travel Planner section with itineraries and comprehensive information on Tourism Services, Transport and more was applauded. We were also happy to hear that hardcopies continue to prove invaluable to our clients. A TRENZ buyer’s comment:
“I wish every country had such an awesome printed guide with all the information you ever need in cold print.”

We also launched our latest publications. Both the brand-new Rest & Relax and Culture & Nature guides were well received by buyers and exhibitors and greeted with great interest.

Rest & Relax is a deluxe guide for travellers seeking the ultimate in indulgence and relaxation in their New Zealand holiday. If your clients want to experience unforgettable luxury and tranquillity amongst our country’s untouched landscapes, they can find New Zealand’s best retreats, spas and deluxe activities in Rest & Relax.

Culture & Nature focuses on New Zealand’s rich cultural heritage and natural secrets. If your clients are after history, art and authentic cultural experiences, and if they are looking for rare wildlife and natural encounters, hand them our latest niche guide - it has all the information they require.

Our new Backpacker and City guides will be launched this month.

TRENZ is the largest international showcase of New Zealand’s leading tourism and travel specialists and is staged by the Tourism Industry Association New Zealand (TIA). Traditionally held in the main centres of Auckland, Rotorua and Christchurch, TRENZ 2011 will see a change in format with the influential tradeshow focused on the Southern Lakes regions of Queenstown, Fiordland and Lake Wanaka with Queenstown as the main hub.

Destination Queenstown chief executive, Tony Everitt, said it was a great coup for the Southern Lakes region to be afforded the opportunity to hold an event of this calibre. “This is the first time we are the host region for TRENZ and this means we can showcase the area to more than 200 international travel and tourism buyers and media in one hit.”

Lisa Sadler, manager Destination Fiordland said the benefits of having TRENZ in the South Island were already proven and hosting the event in the Southern Lakes would only augment those benefits. “We know we benefited from having TRENZ in the South Island in the past as buyers were more inclined to get out and explore the region before and after the event. So to now have TRENZ happening within Southern lakes is huge,” she said. “This presents a wonderful opportunity for the local industry to have the travel trade’s premier event on our front doorstep.”

TRENZ 2011 will take place in the week beginning 23 May 2011. For further information, visit www.southernlakes.travel or www.trenz.co.nz

Culture & Nature is a guide for visitors who want to experience New Zealand’s authentic cultural and natural heritage. It complements the new Rest & Relax guide – for visitors in search of rest, relaxation and a luxuriously indulgent New Zealand experience – which was launched at TRENZ on Monday 24 May 2010.

“We are enjoying our TRENZ experience. We have been producing travel guides for over twelve years and it has been great to get feedback on the guides in person from the people who use them. It is also heartening to see how well received our guides are. And of course we are excited too about our new Culture & Nature and Rest & Relax guides!” says TML Publishing CEO Andrea Rickerby.

For further information visit www.destination-nz.com or contact TML Publishing on +64 3 366 3340.

About TML Publishing
Culture & Nature is published by TML Publishing who produce a range of informative travel and leisure publications, including travel guidebooks for inbound visitors to New Zealand and trade directories for international travel wholesalers and retailers.

On the web, TML Publishing publishes a New Zealand travel directory, blog and forum, and several leisure and lifestyle websites. TML Publishing also has specialist in-house designers that produce marketing collateral, logos and websites for the travel industry.

One of TML Publishing’s best loved titles is The New Zealand Trade Manual, an essential informative trade-dedicated directory supported by a comprehensive website www.newzealandtrademanual.com

Rest & Relax is for visitors in search of rest, relaxation and a luxuriously indulgent New Zealand experience. It complements the new Culture & Nature guide which will be launched at TRENZ on Wednesday.

“We are proud to be launching Rest & Relax at TRENZ. We are attending TRENZ for the first time and think it is such a great platform from which to launch this exciting new guide!” says TML Publishing CEO Andrea Rickerby.

Rest & Relax is published by TML Publishing who produce a range of informative travel and leisure publications, including travel guidebooks for inbound visitors to New Zealand and trade directories for international travel wholesalers and retailers. One of TML Publishing’s best loved titles is The New Zealand Trade Manual, an essential informative trade-dedicated directory supported by a comprehensive website www.newzealandtrademanual.com

The New Zealand Trade Manual is an essential informative trade-dedicated directory supported by a comprehensive website www.newzealandtrademanual.com

“We are proud to be launching our twelfth edition of the New Zealand Trade Manual – hot off the press and looking great!” says TML Publishing CEO Andrea Rickerby.

The New Zealand Trade Manual is published by TML Publishing who produce a range of informative travel and leisure publications, including travel guidebooks for inbound visitors to New Zealand and trade directories for international travel wholesalers and retailers.

For further information visit www.newzealandtrademanual.com or contact TML Publishing on +64 3 366 3340.

SPEEDMEET is a new initiative for TRENZ, the largest annual international tourism business event in New Zealand, being held in Auckland for the second consecutive year at the ASB Arena, 24-27 May 2010.

“Operators asked us for different ways they could connect with the international buyers who they wouldn’t have the chance to meet in the normal appointment process. So we developed SPEEDMEET, which provides a face-to face interaction that will be more effective than just briefly meeting at a networking function,” says Tim Cossar, Chief Executive, Tourism Industry Association.
SPEEDMEET is additional to the main TRENZ three day programme, which comprises a series of formal 15 minute business appointments between the 250 operators and the 270 Buyers who will be attending TRENZ.

“It will provide operators with five minutes to sell themselves and their businesses, to make a connection. And they’ll need to do that over and over again every five minutes. Plenty of energy will be required, just like speed dating – I imagine!” Mr Cossar says.

“It really is true that first impressions count at this kind of event, and research shows that most people make their decisions on an individual within 30 seconds. So the operators will have to be on their speed business dating game if they want to turn the relationship into something lasting.”

TRENZ 2010 is managed by TIA in partnership with Tourism New Zealand, Air New Zealand and other industry supporters.

For further information visit: www.trenz.co.nz

Ski Area Manager, Dave Wilson, says the high country ski area was likely to be on the receiving end of more snow throughout the week.

“It’s great to see a dump of wet snow that should stick around and help create a good base. The cold temperatures mean the team will get started on snowmaking in the next few days to add to the base that has already accumulated.

Mt Hutt is scheduled to open on 12 June 2010.

Meanwhile, Queenstown is also expecting a dump of snow later this week, which is perfectly timed for the scheduled start of snowmaking on Saturday 22 May 2010, and the scheduled opening of Coronet Peak on 5 June 2010.

For more information visit: www.nzski.com

The announcement was made in a speech to the New Zealand Hotel Industry Conference at Sky City Hotel in Auckland.

“As I’ve said previously, the Budget will focus squarely on building faster and sustainable economic growth - it’s the only way we can create the jobs, higher incomes and the better living standards New Zealanders deserve,” Mr Key says.

“Tourism will play an important role in helping us get the economy growing faster.”

Most of the new tourism funding announced today ($25 million) will be used to increase the marketing of New Zealand as a tourism destination internationally. The other $5 million will be allocated to joint venture initiatives.

“This investment is vitally important. It reflects my confidence in the industry to substantially increase the value of tourism to the New Zealand economy,” Mr Key says.

“We will do this by focusing on high-value visitors who require a high-quality experience while in New Zealand.

“I have always believed tourism has the potential to grow far beyond the status quo and this funding will help give that belief wings.

“We have the raw materials in our beautiful scenery, we have the commitment of an industry that is continually striving for excellence, and now we have the funding to sell that message even more strongly all over the world.

“Tourism already makes a significant contribution to New Zealand’s economy and I am confident the extra funding I’m confirming today will ensure that continues.”